Electric ignition device.



J. E. BALDWIN.

ELEOTRIG'IGNITION DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.10, 1906.

, Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

' 5 SHEETS-fiHEET l.

J. E. BALDWIN.

ELECTRIC IGNITION DEVICE. 'APPLIGATION FILED MAR.10,1906.

5 SHEETSSHEET 2.

' Pate ted Jan. 14,1913.

J. E. BALDWIN.

ELECTRIC IGNITION DEVICE. I I ,APPLIGATION FILED MAR.10,19OG.

Pa tented'Jan. 14, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET a.

J. E. BALDWIN.

ELECTRIC IGNITION DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.10,1906.

Patented Jan; 14, 191 3.

5 SHEET SSHBET 4.

xl/ I MEW- J. E. BALDWIN.

ELEGTRIG IGNITION DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.10,1906. 1 50,418, Y Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

5 SHEET S-SHBET 5 \mmwfi MMM V y orrion.

n. eannwrn, or ne'er wrnms ron, roan, nssronoa, BY nnsnn ASSIGN- ienn'rs, T0 rnn'ron MANUFACTURING on, or ERIE, rnn vsYLveivrA, A consonaaron or rnnnsrnvanra.

EhECT-EIC IGNITIGN DEVICE.

ea ers.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan, 14, 1913,

Application filed March 10, 1906. Serial No. 305,279.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES EDWARD BALD- WIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at East VVilliston, Nassau county, and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Elect-ric lgnition' Dev1ces,-of which the following is a. specihcation.

iy invention relates to hydro-carbonmo: tors of the two cycle type and is designed primarily to afford more eilect-ive control ofthe operation of such engines'through the.

nections for operating said variable sparkinc; mechanism, said eccentric being mounted loosely, by preference, directly upon the crank shaft of the motor,'and being formed with key seats 90 apart or approximately so, with a free key space between them, the. key upon the crank shaft coinciding 1n posit-1 -t1on with the-radial center of the crank,sub

stantially as hereinafter set forth. r

In the accompanying drawings I illuss trate the embodiment of the essential-features of my invention in a motor adapted for use in driving the shaft or a marine propeller, or other shaft designed to be rota-"- table in either direction, although I do not restrict myself in this respect, since the main object is to eliectually control and regulate the operation of the engine irrespectivev of It 18 also to be.

the direction of rotation. understood that 1 do not lnnlt myself to a motor of the vertical type.

Figure 1, .is a front elevation of an up-. right engine of the marine type, with parts.- hroken away and the cover of the .va'riabld sparking mechanismremoved; Fig; ii, is a central vertical. sectional elevation of the motor taken on a plane of line atright angles to Fin. 1; Fig. upon an mg the com-w. w

is a front view, the-cover mclos by which make and break sparking is controlled; Fig. 4:

is a similar view with the cover partly broken away, illustrating the position of the parts at the point of make of contact; Fig. 5, a similar view illustrating the position of the parts at the point of break of Contact; Fig. 6, is a sectional view on plane of line 6-6 Fig. 33, certain parts being shown in elevation; Fig. 7, is a rear view of the sparker plug; Fig. 8, a top view of the same, partly in section; Fig. 9, is a section upon .plane of line 9--9 Fig. 8; Fig. -10, is a'sec' tionfof the body of the plug only, taken upon plane of line 10-l0 Fig. 7. Fig. 11, is a sectional elevation uponplanc-of line 1111 Fig. 8; Fig. 12, is an elevation in detail of the sparking'rock lever; F lg. 13,. a diagram matic view showing a general outlineof the motor in front elevation and illustrating the use of jump spark mechanism and cons nections, in combination with my sparking eccentric;Fig. 14:, an elevation showing an alternative form of spark'mechanism 'for jump sparking, the cover being omitted; Fig. 15, is a section upon plane of line l5l5 F ig. 14:; Fig. 16, is a section upon plane or" line 16l6 1-1.

In the drawings A represents the casing of the motor containing the piston cylinder A, and sealed crank chamber A which communicates with the said piston cylinder through the passage a. a, is theinlet port communicating with a suitable carburetor, and 4 the exhaustport. The space of, at the top of the cylinder A, constitutes the combustion chamber into which protrudes the inner end of the sparker plug J. P is the piston connected by the pitman 12, with 'the crank 0, upon the driving shaft C, which -is mounted in suitable bearings and carries fly-wheel C, in the usual manner. In ,fact; the construction and operation of this type of: motor is so well known that the matter need be referred to herein only in so far as may be necessary in illustrating the functions and operation of my new form of eccentric E for actiiating the sparking mechanism, it being understood of coursethat I do-not limit myself to this particular-form or type of hydro-carbon motor.

The distinguishing feature of my constructionand operation of-parts consists in the use. of a special form of eccentric E upon the driving shaftby means of which the sparking mechanism is actuated. As is well known the best results are attained in a hydro-carbon motor of this class by sparking or, igniting the charge of hydrocarbon above the piston prior to the completion of the upward or compression stroke of the latter so that the full force of the explosion of the compressed charge is imparted to the piston just as it passes the upper dead. center,the time between the sparking and. the complete combustion of the charge being suilicient, practically, to admit of the completion of the advance stroke of the piston and compression of the charge. In other words, by the time the advance stroke of the piston is completed the maximum pressure is attained, and isutilized to the fullest advantage during the receding movement of the piston. Under these conditions, obviously, the lead of. spark, whether fixed or adjustable, is operative only for a iven direction of rotation of the crank s aft, and a reversal of direction of rotation would result in retarded sparking, or sparking beyond the dead center after the receding movement of the piston had begun, thereby rendering less ellective the force of the explosion, for reasons well known. This obstacle has been heretofore overcome by'the use of rotating timing devices and other extraneous a pliances interposed between the crank sha t and the sparking mechanism,

but such mechanical expcdients necessarillyi involved complication and expense, and ca for the exercise of skllled labor In their manipulat1on,--all of these being ob1ect1onable features which I obviate orellmlnate" without resort to the use of additional or auxiliary parts or appliances. In other words I produce a motor which ma be operated and controlled in either irection with equal facility by forming iny sparkin eccei'it'ric E, with. a key way a, which wil admit of desirable lost motion equivalent say to" 90 in either direction, or 45 '0n either side of the radial center of the crank with which the center of the key 0', on the crank shaft coincideS,-the sparking eccenirie I? beingmounted loosely upon said crank shaft and traveling with it when the key a, on the shaft is seated either against the s-ahoulder v, cmistituting' the right hand end of the key way (1.01: against the shoulder 1 forming the left hand end of said key way, as the case may be, and as hereinafter more fully described. 1

The upper end of the eccentric rod F, is pivotally connected to the reciprocating side (l, which travels in the groove g, termed in the bracket (1*, which is integral with the casing A, the slide being heldin the groove g, by a plate H, which also ineloscs and confines the mechanism by which the time of? sparking varied with relation to the position of the piston P. This variyvhich rests a tripp'er or wiper the knife switch 7', whic able sparking mechanism is interposed between the reciprocating slide G and a controller L, and may be of any form and construction that ma befolind expedient or practicable; itbeing. herein simply as an essential dev ce'or element used in conjunction with my special form of eccentric E,--the essential feature in this connection beingthe use of means for varying the engagement of the electrical contact surfaces y which the s arkin is efl'ected. Thus in the drawin have s own by way ofillustration varia le sparking mechanism adapted to make -and break contact sparking, vas well as to jump or secondary sparking, .the result being essentially the same in either case, and the specific construction. of the variable sparking mechanism forming no part of the present invention.

The controller L, is preferably although not necessarily made in the form of a hand lever secured rigidly to the outer end of. a short shaft 1, which is mounted in a bearin h, in the plate H.

In the case ofthe make and break variable sparkin mechanism shown in Figs. 1 to 12 of the rawings inclusive, the inner end of the shaft 1, has rigidly secured to it a cam 1' against thel'perlpheral surfIace of plV- otally supported upon the upper end of the reciprocatory slide G and old in engagement with said cam l by a. spring 5 interosed between the short arm 1', of said wiper and the o posed side of the slide G, as will be seen y reference to Figs. 4 and 5. J is a plug inserted through an aperture a (Figs. 2 and 6) in the casing A, to which it is secured by bolts j. Passing through but insulated from the plug J is the stationary positive termina j Fig. 8. This terminal 7', is connected byl the wire j, with in turn is connected with the spark coil or intensifier j, interposed in the clrcuit between said switch j, and the battery 7', as illustrated symboli cally in Fig 1. The battery j, is connected by the circuit wire 7', with the casin' of the motor. Passing through the plug J at not insulated therefrom, so that it is in electrical contact with the casing A, see Fig. 11, is the rock shaft K. To the inner end of this rock shaft- K, and formed integral therewith, is the arm is which constitutes the negative terminal oi the.electrical circuit, and also acts as the contact maker and breaker (see' Figs. 7 and 8). Upon the outer end of the rock shaft K is loosely mounted the radial arm which rests normally a inst a stop is, (integral with said shaft K by reason of the actlon of a coiled the rock shaft K. In operation the up-- ward stroke of the tripper or wiper I, raises the radial arm is, fromthe stop 10*, the motion being taken up and neutralized by the spring k acting through the shaft K, holding the circuit breaker is, in contact with the terminal 7'. Uponthe release of the radial arm is, by the rocking wiper I, the spring k returns the radial arm is, to the stop it, with a quiclgforceful movement, the impact of which drives the conthe terminals by which the charge of hydro tact breaker 7c, acting through the rock shaft K, suddenly from the stationaryterminal j,

thereby effectively breaking the circuitand causingthe formation of a spark between carbon above the piston is exploded. It is obvious that the position of the cam Z, with relation to the rocking Wiper I will deter-y mine the length of time of contact between its upper end and the radial arm is, so that by adJusting said cam .Z, by means of the controller L the timing of theQspark may be varied with relation tothe upward stroke of the slide G.

Vfhere a jump spark is desired instead of a make and break spark, the variable sparking mechanism shown in Figs. 13 to 16 inclusive may be substituted for that above described," or any other suitable variablesp'arking mechanism adapted to the purpose may be used. In the jump spark arrangement shown the upper end of the reciprocating slide G, is formedwith a conthe shaft Z, is secured the disk i or an equivalent lateral arm carrying a pin or stud i whichrests in the transverse slot i in said plate I. By this means the plate I, may be raised or lowered with relation to the reciprocating slide G, so as to advance or retardthe'engagement of the contacts i and The contact 2'? is connected by the wire f j, with the knife switch j which in turn .is connected to the primary wire of the Ruhmkorf coil 7', the other end of said primary wire being connected with the hattery j, which is grounded at j. The secondary wire is grounded at 7'", the other end of said secondary wire connecting with the circuit closer j, which in turn is connected with the jump spark up; J of r all known construction, the J being insulated from the pole J wl lch is in electric contact with the engine casing Al Whichever form of variable sparking mechanism is used the parts are so arranged and timed with relation to each other that if the controller L (if it be a lever as shown in the drawings) were in a vertical position the sparking would occur at the upper end of the stroke. If the controller L be turned to. the right the sparking will be retarded or take place after the piston has commenced its receding movement, and vice versa, if the controller is turned to the left of said central position, the sparking will take place in advance of the completion of the upward stroke of the piston.

Presuming that the normal direction of rotation of the crank shaft is from left to right as is oridnarilythe case, in effecting the preliminary starting of the englne the I controlling lever L is set to the right and the fly wheel rotated to the right by hand. This insures the engagement of the key 0',

with the right hand shoulder 'or seat 6, of I the eccentric, and the sparking is retarded. This retarded sparking is however resorted to only in effecting such preliminary starting in order to overcome all danger of back action whichmight injure the person 'han dling the fly-wheel, or for the purpose of re-- ducing the speed of the-engine, for any' cause while; running, since retarded spark-' ing impairs the effectiveness of the expld sion of the charge for reasons well known.

After the engine'is started the sparkmay be advanced a suitable point by moving the controller lever L to the left, beycndthe center moreor less, as may be'found most eXPedient.

When it'is desired to reverse the motion of the engine which ordinarily is only an incidental feature of its use, I open the knife. switch 7' thereby cutting out-the sparking mechanism teiripcrarily. NVhen the momentum of the engine has been re duced to a degree insufficient to overcome the-force of the explosion in an advanced. position, (the kev 0 being still in engage- I. ment with the right hand shoulder e, of

the eccentric) I close the switch j, the con troller lever L having been previously turned farther to the left to give an in-' creased lead of spark. Under these conditions 1i- 2 explosion will occur by an advanced spark on such stroke, a cording to lea the lead given to the controller L. As a resultof the pressure the generated gases against the upper end of the pistc .1 the' reduced momentum of the fly-wheel is over-' come, the iston retarded and then forced downward DBfOI'Q the completion oflits upward stroke, and hence before the crank has reached the upper dead center. This versalof motion carries the key 0, aw; y from the right hand shoulder e, of the ec- CQIE KlC E and into contact with the left 5 and shoulder 6 of the latter, thereby, re-

at the reversal c 31011 by the explo' on of a single clu of hydro-carbon as ji described, the eccentric E in both cases adjusting itself automatically to the cl go so as to actuate the sparking mech anism in like conditions in either case. By meal t will be seen that without the interposition of special or auxiliary m of any kind and by the simple in; of forming the sparker eccentric a concentric seat slot 6, admit-ting lost motion of say 90 between s and 6, or 45' on either side l center of the crankshaft with is key coincides, I an) enabled engine but also to regulate and control its operation in either direction with equal facility and under like and parallel conditions; 1 thus attain a two way motor of simple and cheap structure which may be operated by unskilled labor, and by the use of -'which reversing gear and extraneous appliances or, devices of any kind are or may be dispensedwith. At the same time I am enabled to -more effectually regulate and control the action of the engine irrespective of the direction of rotation of the crank shaft, a feature of practical importance especially as related. to marine motors or otlna's in which a reversal of motion or "variation speed is essentiah {it is to be understood that 'while'I have herein shown t and described the eccentric E as formed with an eccentric seat slot having a play of 90 by way of illustration I do not limit myself in this" respect, since any suitable degree of play or lostmotion may be afforded without :departing from the spirit and intent of f my invention in this respect; neither do I restrict myself to a key c, coinciding in position with the radial center of the crank.

lVhat I claim-as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is, 35 s 1, In a hydro-carbon motor. of

" chars ter designated, the combination with. variable sparking mechanism having 1 meansfor advancing or retardiu'g'the s a at will by which the sparking ma e. ect- 0 ved during either the advanceor recession of the piston, an eccentric and intermediate i connections for operating said variable sparking mechanism, said eccentric being mounted loosely on the crankshaft and being formed with key seats, with. atfree key are moms ituni is rednc l cJJlilQlQ/Htly to adto readily reverse the motion of the a the o of the piston, an eccentric, and intermediate connections for operating said variable sparking mechanism, said eccentric being mounted loosely on the crank shaft and being formed with key seats 90 apart or approximately so, with a free key space between them, and a key upon said crank shaft between the said key seats on the occentric, said key coinciding in position with the radial center of the crank, all so arranged that with the spark advanced on one stroke the operation may be reversed by merely o ening and closing the circuit, for the pur pose described.

3, In a two-cycle hydrocarbon motor of the character designated, the combination with variablesparki ng mechanism having means for advancing or retarding the spark at will by means of which the sparking may be effected during either the advance or recession of the piston, a crankshaft, an eccentric and intermediate coni'iections for operating said variable sparking mechamean, said eccentric being mounted loosely cycle character designated, the combination with variable sparking mechanism having a movable member to operate contacts and means to advance or retard the action of said member at will by means of which the sparking may be effected during either the advance or recession of the piston, a crank shaft, an eccentric and intermediate connections for operating said member of said variable sparkinr mechanism, said eccentric being mounted loosely upon said shaft of the engine and being formed with key seats 90 apart, or approximately so, with a free -key s ace between them, and a key upon said s aft between the said key seats upon the eccentric, said key being timed in position to coincide with the radial ,Qcenter of the crank driven by the pistongall so arran' ed that with the spark advanced on one stro e the operation may be reversed by the purpose described.

7 rod, pivotally connected with said slide G,

' 120;!" of this patent may be obtained for the radial center ofthe crank, all so arranged eccentric E, formed with a. concentric slot 6,

circuit, for the purpose described.

merely opening and closing thecircuit, for

5. In a two-cycle hydro-carbon motor of the character-designated, the combination of a crank shaft sparking mechanism having means for controlling the time of the spark at will so arranged that the time of making or breaking of contact may be varied through 90 of the rotation of the crank shaft and an eccentric mounted loosely upon the said crank shaft with a key seat wide enough to admit of lost motion of or 45 on either side .of a key upon the crank shaft, and said key being placed to coincide with that with the spark advanced on one stroke the operation may be reversed by merely opening and closing the circuit, for the pur pose described.

6. In a hydro-carbon motor of the twocycle character designated, the combination with variable sparking mechanism having a rciprocative member tomake and break the circuit, and a controller to alter the time of such make and break at will,..by which the sparking may be efi cted either during of the piston, a

variable sparking mechanism, an eccentric and connecting it with an eccentric E, said and key seats 6, e, and a key 0', on the crank shaft '0, said key being placed to coincide with the radial center of the crank c, all sov arranged that with the spark adyanced on one stroke the operation may be reversed by merely opening and closing the 7. In a twocycle hydro carbon motor, the combination of a reciprocative member, an igniter comprising make and-break contacts, an arm connected with the movable contact to be engaged by said member, and means to shift the operative position of said member with respect to said arm, with an eccentric loosely mounted upon the crank shaft, connections between the eccentric and said member, and mean; for causing the eccentric to travel behinci the radial center of the crank in either direction of rotation of the latter, all so arranged that with the spark advanced on one stroke the operation may be reversed by merely opening and closing the circuit.

8. In a two-cycle hydro carbon motor, the combination of a reciprocative member, make and break contacts, an arm connected with one of said contacts, means to suddenly actuate the movable contact when the arm is released from said member, a cam to shift the position of said member with respect to said arm, and means to operate said cam, with an eccentric loosely mounted upon the crank shaft, and connections. between the eccentric and said member, said eccentric havingkey seats with-a "free key space between the seats, and a key upon the crank shaft between said key seats for causing the eccentric to follow behind the radial center of the crank in either direction of rotation of the latter, all so arranged that the operv ation may be reversed by merely opening and closing the circuit.

JAMES E. BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

D. W. .GARDNER, Gno. WM. MIA'rr.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner Washington, 1'i. G!

of Patents, 

